Packers Turn in Right Direction

Earlier this week, I wrote about the Packers being at a turning point in their season. The Pack turned in the right direction on Sunday night. They answered the bell with a convincing 42-24 win over the previously undefeated Houston Texans. That it was a road win only added emphasis to the fact that the Packers are still a very good team.

Are they a great team? That remains to be seen but the possibility is very much there within the team’s grasp. Everything the Packers needed to do in this game, they did. Yes, they made some mistakes and suffered a number of injuries, but this is a team sport. They showed in 2010 that if they play as a team, good things will happen.

This win puts the Packers back at .500. When you consider that they have already faced the 49ers, Bears, Saints and Texans, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Added to that is the fact that they could easily be 5-1 and there should be a lot of reason for optimism in Green Bay.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy has shown a great ability to grab ahold of the team and keep the locker room tight. While other teams may buckle under the pressure of losing close games or games they should have won, the Packers get back to work and fight.

During the postgame interview, NBC’s Michele Tafoya mentioned to Packers QB Aaron Rodgers that outside the locker room it’s been said that “the sky is falling” and asked him what this win said to the critics. Rodgers simply and calmly responded “Shhhhhhhhhhh”.

It doesn’t get any easier with another road game at St. Louis next week, the Packers’ third in a row. But if history is any indication, the Pack will be ready and confident that they can head back to Lambeau Field above .500 for the first time this season. In 2010 at this same juncture the Packers were 3-3, hit hard by injuries and facing a tough game against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. I’m sure we all remember what happened from there.

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The play of Clay Matthews v Houston was just spectacular-talk about effort…even when he could only touch the runner; he tried and got Foster one handed once.

The Packers need to play at their own level; not the opponent. This is for all of them, and he coaches.

Lefty

well put. I still want to know where this effort(team) was last week.

Ron LC

I think it’s a tad too early to profess the turn around yet. The game certainly gives us hope that things are better and a true change is within their grasp.

AR and the receiver’s seemed to take the bull by the horn and answer the can’t go down the field issue. Finley had his usual drop early in the game. However, his injury was a contributing factor. His overall play in the game was limited and it’s too hard to evaluate him as part of the future. I, for one, still would like to see him succeed. He hasn’t said anything stupid since his rookie year and is working hard to improve. Now that said, his agent is still an Ahole.

The Oline still needs work, alot of work. 3 sacks and 7 hits on AR is not good enough. One of those sacks, the one where JJ Watts almost ripped his head off, could have been a season ending disaster. That should and cannot be tolerated again. It looked to me like TJ was the offender although it could have easily have Newhouse’s man and TJ was trying to cover for him. When AR grabbed his head after the helmet was torn off I rushed to take more of my heart meds. That was close, too close. To conclude the Oline discussion of the turn around, they have not yet turned around, they have barely started to apply the directional signals.

The D? Well, for about 3/4’s of their plays a turn around seemed aparrent. Then Capers fell back to his big blue security blanket, “the dime.” When he started playing it, Larry McCarren had this to say. “Wayne, when they switch to that soft zone, it appears they can’t stop anything.” I definetely agree with that assessment.

So, two things have to happen before the turn around can be accomplished.

1. Get the Oline up to at least slightly above average. That means working the starting 5 more on communication and firing off the line.

2. Play aggressive defense the entire game. Stay away from the deep zone until the very end of the game or they have a 5 TD lead.

After the next 3 games, which on the surface, should be wins. We’ll have a good idea if the Houston game was indeed the turn around.

PackersRS

I don’t remember who or where, but someone brought it up the injuries and the scoreboard as an excuse for Capers playing the way he did late in the game.

I absolutely agree with you, but Capers stayed true to the core almost all game long, except when the lead was substantial and guys started to go down.

Last time I got excited they lost to the Colts, but I still see the potential to win against anybody anywhere from this team.

Running game, Green is a clear downgrade over Benson (speed nonwhitstanding), but he’ll be back. And this game showed the Packers can shut down a running game.

At the passing game, as POC eloquently showed over at CHTV, McCarthy swallowed his pride and adjusted. Rodgers is leading the NFL in QB rating once again. And the Packers lead the league in sacks.

It’s all up to them. If they focused, to their strenghts, and with drive, I still believe they can win it all, no matter the path.

Despite last game, Houston is still a formidable team, so is NE at the AFC. And the NFC is loaded, the Giants can also win any type of game, and the 49ers are the most physical and well-coached team in football. It’s not easy for sure, it’s just that when they play up to their talent, they appear to be on another level than everybody else.

Chad Toporski

Fun fact: There are only 2 teams above .500 in the AFC (BAL and HOU).

There are 7 teams in the NFC above .500.

Which conference would you rather the Packers be in right now?

Bubbaloo

PackersRS, not far off except the part about the Niners being the most well coached team. I live in the Bay Area and I see almost every Niner game unless the Packers games conflict with the scheduled times. The shine will wear off before you know it, Harbaugh is an arrogant jerk who treats the local press, the Refs, and everyone else like sh*t! Watch his players, they’re becoming just like him, they bitch about everything no matter how obvious it is that they’re wrong. He was clearly out-coached by Coughlin and earlier this year in Minnesota. He completely wasted a challenge (and the associated time-out) Sunday after 2 or 3 replays were already shown on the big screen clearly showing the call was correct, not even close! “Did it for his players” he said later. That’s not good coaching! As it turned out, getting a whuppin’ of 26-3 by the Giants, he never needed the challenge or time-out back. I don’t know if you can call that luck, but it’s certainly not called “Good Coaching”.

Mr. Bacon

6 Games In… Here’s what I have noted down.

Rodgers: Lethargic the first quarter of the season; couldn’t throw his passes accurately but the last 2 games he has shown to be warming up.

Nelson: Decent season, but has been a victim of Aaron overshooting him for big gains.

Matthews: Back to a All-Pro year.

Woodson: You can see the age is taking hold, and if I was a betting man, next year will be the last.

Jones: Watching him this year has been a joy; although I still think it was justifiable that we wanted to trade him. He may have been higher on the depth chart but he wasn’t playing it.

Finley: After the Hamstring injury, he is afraid of getting hit.

Crabtree: I think he is the best TE on the Packer squad. I think it’s because Crabtree likes to play dodge ball with the local kids in the offseason.

Perry: People were saying they wanted to see immediate impact, and now he has shown flashes. I would go to say he has been finishing sacks better than Matthews. I am not saying what Matthews is bad, but if you look, Matthews is a wild man which means he could overshoot the QB. Perry just grabs on, and tackles… also he likes to draw “Fines” for “Helmet to Helmet”.

Worthy: Slowly giving the DL a boost. It just seems like the Line itself has a “Freshness” about it. It’s not elite, but you can at least say they do the basics and stop the run.

Shields: I think he is finally aging mentally in how to be a NFL Pro player. He isn’t Tramon level yet, but he gives me a vibe like he is ready to stop being a former college player trying to make it in the NFL.

Hayward: You don’t hear his name much, but when you do he has the ball in his hands lol.

MD Jennings: Same can be said for him.

Cobb: Menace on the Field. I think he is Percy Harvin, but with the smarts. Maybe not as explosive but he is a very athletic and natural WR.

Crosby: He’s got legs. He knows how to use them.

Masthay: Consistent Punter with Distance. Does any remember the Punter debacle that haunted McCarthy’s team?

Ed

Nitpick, but the Packers are at .500 for the third, not the first time this season. 1-1 and 2-2 are both .500 records.

Might want to update that in the otherwise fine article.

http://allgbp.com/category/authors/jason-perone/ Jason Perone

Updated and thanks Ed. My intention was to indicate that they are back to .500. Fingers working slower than the brain. Given most comments to my recent pieces one thing I know for sure, people are reading them carefully. Can’t hate that.

Dan

As far as I’m concerned, the .Packers better win the next 3 and go into the bye at 6-3. If they don’t, they once again would be losing to much less talented teams and good teams don’t do this. The Pack already lost to 2 less talented teams and now its time to prove they are beyond that. Need to play pissed off every week.